


These people are going to be my crew

by no_protocol



Category: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Genre: Audio Format: MP3, First Meetings, Gen, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/no_protocol/pseuds/no_protocol
Summary: A fledgling AI makes a decision.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	These people are going to be my crew

**Author's Note:**

> I got a question on Tumblr that basically said "write about the development of a baby AI." And this is how I screwed it up. It's a little bit expanded from the original Tumblr post because words are hard.

The director of the Artificial Intelligence Committee is stuck playing tour guide that afternoon. “To say we raise AI like one might raise a child is perhaps stretching the truth.”

The man giving this explanation is stocky and short, and there's passion in his eyes. These artificial minds are his precious children, no doubt about it. No matter what he wants to call them, the director will move the heavens to give them everything they need to thrive. 

“We provide them with countless sources of stimulation and entertainment while we prepare them to become full-fledged starships,” he explains to an audience of four.

The fifth member of the group is a four-year-old girl with a lavender bow in her hair. Right then, she’s standing in front of a wall-to-wall display surface and poking curiously at it. The screen flickers briefly and then changes to display complex mathematical equations. The little girl giggles, touches the screen again, and then laughs as a glowing cube follows her wandering finger.

The tour guide stops speaking and looks almost as fascinated by the child as the child is by the display. A moment later, he clears his throat and continues.

“Some people might say that children are blank slates, but that’s not true of course. Even newborns have some idea of how to operate their bodies and are aware of their needs. The same is true of the AIs we cultivate here at the university.”

The little girl wanders over to a different display. This one is supposed to be filled with numbers and charts, and a scientist in a rainbow-colored lab coat is standing in front of it, examining the data. As the child approaches, the surface of the display flickers, and the numbers are replaced with butterflies, flowers, and abstract shapes. The tiny human laughs again, amazed at the spectacle because she doesn't understand that this shouldn't be happening.

The scientist stops what she’s doing and murmurs something into her feed interface. The tour guide seems to be listening. There's a momentary pause, a hesitation, as the director tries to keep excitement and concern out of his voice.

“I’m sorry, sir, but would you mind asking your daughter to come over to one of the unused displays?” the director asks.

Seth looks puzzled. “Is there a problem?”

The stocky human shakes his head. “No, I don’t believe there is. But Iris appears to be...interacting with one of the AI fledglings. Possibly Perihelion. We’ve never seen any interaction like this, but unfortunately, it’s making monitoring the nursery difficult.” _Says the man who claims the AI aren't his adopted children._

Martyn smiles indulgently at his husband and walks over to take Iris’s hand. “Why don’t we sit over here, sweetheart, and you can play with your new friend?”

"What's their name?" the girl asks, unaware that the being on the other side of the screen is a bot.

Perihelion, meanwhile, decides that these humans are its crew. It’s too young to understand what that entails, but it is a ship, and there’s nothing it can’t do.

_****_

_If you prefer to listen to fanfics, below you can listen to me read this particular story. Sorry, I sound like a twelve-year-old with a cold._

**Listen:**  
  
_(or click[here](MP3%20URL) if your browser doesn't support HTML 5)_


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